Giving Up Things

WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Understand what fasting and giving things up during Lent means for people.
• Explore what children notice about fasting and giving up things.
• Reflect on the significance of sacrifice and self-discipline during Lent.

Curriculum Alignment

This lesson aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum for Years 9-10 in Religious Education, focusing on:

• Key Competencies:

  • Thinking: Critically exploring the meaning of fasting and giving up things.
  • Relating to others: Understanding others’ practices and values.
  • Managing self: Reflecting on personal choices and discipline.
  • Using language, symbols, and texts: Communicating ideas clearly.

• Values:

  • Respect for others and their beliefs.
  • Integrity and self-discipline.

• Learning Area:

  • Level 5 Social Sciences and Religious Education: Exploring spiritual and ethical concepts through inquiry into religious practices.

• Critical Focus (Phase 4 for years 9-10):

  • Having a purpose and being empathetic and resilient.

These alignments support the lesson's development of empathy, critical thinking about cultural and religious traditions, and self-awareness in line with the New Zealand Curriculum principles .

Duration

• 20 minutes
• Class size: 20 students

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Lesson Plan Overview

Time	Activity	Details & Differentiation
3 min	Starter: Do Now Question	Question on board: “What do you notice adults give up during Lent? What do children give up?” Think-Pair-Share to prompt engagement. Dyslexia-friendly by using clear, large font and icons.
5 min	Activity 1: Observation Discussion	Whole-class discussion: Share children’s ideas about fasting (adults giving up treats; kids giving up screen time). Teacher clarifies the concept of fasting and sacrifice. Visual aids included.
7 min	Activity 2: Meaning Exploration	Small groups create lists on A3 of 'What does giving up something mean?' Use sentence stems (e.g., “Giving up something... helps me...”) Differentiation: visual sentence stems, oral supports for struggling learners.
3 min	Class Sharing: Groups report back	Each group shares 1-2 ideas. Teacher highlights key meanings: self-discipline, helping others, spiritual growth.
2 min	Plenary: Exit Question	Students write a quick reflective sentence: “One new thing I learned about fasting is…” Dyslexia-friendly template provided.

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Success Criteria

Students will be able to:

• Identify what types of things people give up during Lent (treats, screen time).
• Explain why fasting or giving up things is meaningful to many people.
• Reflect on the idea of self-discipline and sacrifice as positive values.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Use visual supports, clear fonts, and sentence stems for dyslexic learners.
• Provide oral instructions and allow verbal responses as alternative to writing.
• Pair students for peer support and scaffolded discussion.
• Use hands-on group activity to support kinesthetic learners.

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Extension Activity for Advanced Learners

• Invite students to research and present a brief explanation of how fasting differs across religions/cultures.
• Encourage students to reflect on how giving something up might help develop empathy or personal resilience.

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Resources

• Whiteboard or digital board for the starter question.
• Large paper and markers for group work.
• Dyslexia-friendly worksheets with sentence stems.
• Visual icons showing fasting (e.g. no sweets, no screens, prayer symbols).

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This lesson plan uses active engagement and thoughtful discussion to meet critical curriculum goals for years 9-10. It combines thinking, relating to others, and managing self, while addressing diverse learning needs.